Rocky Mountain updates Element for more BC/XC goodness

The Element has always been a cross-country bike that can handle more than it far share of rowdy trails. Rocky Mountain is making it even more capable with the newest version of its cross-country “race” bike.

From Rocky Mountain:

This is the result of over two decades at the front of the pack. The new Element features more efficient suspension performance, refined marathon geometry, Ride-9™ adjustability, and room for two bottles inside the front triangle. The smallest details were examined in search of point-n-shoot rigidity and unrivalled speed.

“This new Element is a full-on XC marathon weapon, but with the confidence of a trail bike” says product director Alex Cogger. “People used to show up to BC Bike Race expecting to grind fire roads all day, only to walk the descents and snap their made-for-the-scale bikes in half. XC racing has evolved, and bikes that can’t handle the real world have no business on the course.”

Some things to take note of:

-Dropper post on all but the least expensive models
-Two bottle cages inside the front triangle on all five sizes
-Room for 29×2.35 tires
-Ride-9 chip for adjustable geometry and suspension leverage ratio
-All models come with a 120 mm fork, most with at least 34 mm stactions.
-Front derailleur compatable

We’ve always been partial to the BC Edition of this bike, and it delivers once again with Minion DHR and SS tires, a 800mm bar and a RockShox Pike. Pictured below is the 990 RSL BC Edition. The other models released today are the top of the line 999 RSL, 970 RSL, 950 RSL and 930 RSL. All bikes have carbon frames and versatile internal cable routing.

The bad news? No pricing, yet. And these won’t be ready until late 2016. We hope we can get our hands on one sooner, because these look like a lot of fun.